Quotes on fluff-free web copy

What writers and others say

“Be direct. Studies have shown that simple, direct language works better on screen than flowery or ‘marketing oriented’ prose.”

― Dan Bricklin, software developer

“Online, people seek (and expect) information rather than feel-good fuzziness.”

— Amy Gahran, media consultant and author of Contentious.com

“Cut the marketing fluff — your customers aren’t buying it.”

― Jordan Garner, global head, member account management, WeWork

“Visitors overwhelmingly prefer detail. But they don’t want to be overwhelmed by it.”

— Kate Meyer, user experience specialist, Nielsen Norman Group

“Users rarely look at logos, mission statements, slogans, or any other elements they consider fluff.”

― Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“Promotional language imposes a cognitive burden on users who have to spend resources on filtering out the hyperbole to get at the facts. When people read a paragraph that starts ‘Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions,’ their first reaction is ‘no, it’s not,’ and this thought slows them down and distracts them from using the site.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“Kill the welcome mat and cut to the chase. People read very little on webpages. Don’t waste word count on generic, feel-good material.”

― Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“The more florid the descriptions, the more users tune them out and go elsewhere. Sadly, the web is so smothered in vaporous content and intangible verbiage that users simply skip over it. The more bad writing you push on your users, the more you train them to disregard your message. Useless content doesn’t just annoy people; it’s a leading cause of lost sales.”

“Using fluffy language doesn’t just hurt you while users are on your site. It can prevent users from finding your site in the first place because sites that use plain language will outrank you in the search engine results page listings.”

“Cut the fluff doesn’t mean dump the details.”

— Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications

“Make sure you’re cutting the fat without tossing out the foie gras.”

— Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications

“Remember what Texans say about people who are ‘all hat, no cattle.’ Too many corporate webpages are just that — puffy, overblown chest pounding with little solid evidence to back up the claims.”

— Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications

Cut Through the Clutter

Measure, monitor and manage clarity with a cool (free!) tool

Would your message be twice as good if it were half as long? The research says yes: The shorter your piece, the more likely readers are to read your message, understand it and make good decisions based on it.

But most communicators (and, let’s be fair, their reviewers) ignore the research and keep piling on the paragraphs. The result? “You’re not more informed,” writes Tom Rosenstiel, former media critic for the Los Angeles Times. “You’re just numbed.”

Analyze your message for 27 readability metrics and leave with targets, tips and techniques for improving each one.

So how long is too long? What’s the right length for your piece? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words?